Playing With Those Memories Again
Coloratura stepped off the stage and into an embrace. Applejack threw her forelegs around her old friend and hugged her for all she was worth. "You were awesome, Rara!"
"You really think so?"
"Listen to that crowd, sugarcube!"
"Rara! Rara! Rara!"
Coloratura sighed in relief. "You have no idea how worried I was. Acoustic is such a radical departure from what the audience was expecting."
"Well you nailed it," Applejack replied. "Your voice should have been the star to begin with, and not all the glitz and glitching Svengallop smothered it with. I daresay a lot of those ponies in the audience got their first taste of real music tonight."
"And should you still desire some glitz, allow me to offer my services." Rarity joined the two mares backstage. "While acoustic is acceptable in concert, you're going to need more than that to maintain your grip on the music charts."
"I'm going to need a band. I can play the piano, but Svengallop took my backing band with him when he left."
"I reckon we don't have one o' those."
"Darling, we're at a music festival. This shan't be hard at all, why I dare say with the right marketing I'm sure we'll have bands throwing themselves at Rara's hooves for the opportunity to tour with her."
"Tour? Tours are expensive..."
"You're the number one pop star in all of Equestria, darling! Surely you can scrape a few bits together for a tour."
"I've got enough bits to buy a pretty nice house here in Ponyville. And that's about it. Svengallop controlled my finances. If I wanted it, he bought it for me. If he thought it would help my image, he bought it for me no matter how ridiculous I thought it was. And of course if he wanted it, he bought it for himself with the money I earned." Coloratura sighed. "So I can settle down here in town and do my best to make a living, or I can go for broke trying to keep my career going. What do you think I should do? Play it safe or roll the dice just one more time?"
"Dreams are for chasing. What's a pony without dreams, hopes, and ambitions?"
"I reckon I've gotta agree with Rarity. You've got one hay of a voice. It would be a darn shame to waste your talent. Though I reckon it would be right nice to have you as a neighbor. Tell you what, if this backfires and you lose everything, I'll build you a house right on Sweet Apple Acres. Now y'all got nothin' to lose, sugarcube!"
"All right," Coloratura agreed. "But I'm going to need a manager." She looked at Applejack. "And there's only one pony I trust to do the job."
"I can't do that. First of all I've got a farm t' run. I can't be gallivantin' around Equestria."
"I'll buy you a summer's worth of labor to work on the farm in your absence."
"Secondly I don't know the first thing about the music industry."
"Then I'll hire Rarity to act as your consultant."
"Me? But darling, you hardly know me. How do you know I'm qualified for the position?"
"Call it a hunch."
Svengallop looked out the window at the scenery whizzing past. The picturesque country farms did nothing for him. His eyes lost focus and he closed them. He leaned back into his seat and reviewed the events of the past few hours. He had just lost his star client. That would mean a short term end to the lifestyle he'd become accustomed to. But there were dozens of timid fillies with musical talent whom he could mold to fit his vision.
The train started slowing and Svengallop opened his eyes. He had a plan, and it was time to put it into action. He disembarked and made a quick stop at the copyright office to register his act's new name, and then the local theater where he posted an announcement for auditions, before returning to his own office.
"I made her, and I'll destroy her too."
Rarity trotted up a hill while Applejack turned to look back at her friend's smile as she signed autographs and posed for photos with her fans.
"We may have a minor dilemma."
"Spit it out, Rarity."
"It appears that the other bands have already gone home." Applejack joined her on the hill overlooking the stage. The field that had served as a makeshift parking lot filled with wagons, trailers, and coaches for the entertainers was now mostly empty.
"Coloratura was the last act. I reckon they wanted to beat the rush out of here."
"Or avoid the onslaught of autograph seekers when the show ends."
The two ponies trotted down the hill and into the mostly empty parking lot. Trash barrels filled past capacity greeted them. Crumpled flyers rustled in the breeze as they walked toward the solitary wagon remaining in the field. Faded paint advertised it as belonging to Mare Supply.
"Mare Supply?" asked Applejack. "Never heard of 'em."
"Darling, I assure you that there are more types of music than just country and western. Why, Mare Supply was huge in the '80s! Their love songs are very poignant." Rarity knocked on the wagon's door.
"I already explained to the other security guard that we broke a wheel. We're going to be here for a few more days until somepony can fix it."
"Wheels all look perfectly fine t' me," Applejack muttered.
"Uh, we're not with security, darling."
The door flew open. "Well hello! I'm Heart Song! I don't suppose you'd like autographs or perhaps a souvenir?" The blond stallion turned a crank and the wagon started to creak and moan. A minute later a merchandise table unfolded from the side of the coach. "We're...uh...going for a retro look with our merchandise. '88 World Tour!" The layer of dust on the merchandise display told an entirely different story than the stallion's words. Rarity looked over the tacky design and shuddered. No wonder nopony was buying it.
Heart Song invited them in and introduced him to Mare Supply's lead singer, Tender Heart. He was a short stallion, with a brown coat and jet black mane and tail. A heart surrounded by musical notes adorned his flank. Rarity had to look down to gaze into his eyes. A sharp contrast to the exceedingly tall Heart Song.
"Wait a sec, I thought this here was Mare Supply. But both y'all are stallions."
"Our old producer gave us the name when he saw how popular our music was with mares. He was trying to sign us to a record deal and had to fight his way through a throng of mares after one of our first local concerts in Trottingham."
"About forty years ago now," added Heart Song. "Time flies when you're having fun."
"Not to interrupt, darlings, but we did have a reason for our late night visit."
"What my friend here is tryin' t' say is that we've got a business proposition for y'all."
"Indeed," Rarity composed herself and continued, "We represent a musical act looking to go on tour. We're seeking a band to tour with her. And I can think of no finer musicians for such a task than the two I'm standing in front of." She batted her eyelashes.
"As an opening act?"
"Not quite, darlings. You see, she recently lost her backing band. We were thinking more along the lines sharing the stage and alternating between songs. Coloratura's even graciously volunteered to play piano during your set." Applejack quirked an eyebrow at the fib.
"Coloratura? You punks had me going there for a second with that prank. It's not nice to torment your elders like that. Now get out."
"I'm quite serious."
"Yeah, a likely story. Now get out of here before I call security."
"Go ahead and call security. My family owns this here apple orchard that hosted the concert. So maybe you can explain to me why you need to stay here a few more days when your wheels all look perfectly fine t' me. The rest of the wagon's a wreck but the wheels aren't."
Tender Heart's face fell. "We don't have anywhere else to go. Our music is our life, and well, this is the first gig we've had in years. And you've got a very fine orchard with delicious apples. I can't remember the last time we ate apples."
"We just wanted to enjoy a few more before we go back to eating grass. We're sorry for mooching off your apples."
"Well, I did promise 'all you can eat apples' to any band that played the festival." She chuckled sheepishly. "And we do grow the finest apples in all of Equestria. I can't be mad at y'all for that, more like I'm flattened."
"I think you mean 'flattered', darling."
"Right, that. But why do y'all eat grass? You're musicians, don't you have any money saved up?"
"We poured our savings and royalties into recording a new album. We call it Life Support. Catchy, right?" Heart Song grabbed a copy from the souvenir table to show the pair.
The door opened and Coloratura poked her head in. "Hey girls, everypony's gone home. Security helped shoo off the last of the stragglers. Is this my new band?"
Heart Song's jaw dropped and Tender Heart said, "You're serious."
"I told you." Rarity flashed the stallions a smug grin.
"Oh thank you so much!" Coloratura embraced both of the stallions. "You don't know how much this means to me." Her eyes started watering.
Over the course of the next week the five ponies collaborated on concert plans. Coloratura offered up her savings to get the ball rolling. Rarity took that ball and ran with it... right to Canterlot where she convinced Fancy Pants to sign on as the main sponsor of the tour. With finances taken care of, she then turned her attention to designing a tour logo and a new wardrobe for the performers. Heart Song and Tender Heart, meanwhile, planned the tour destinations based on years of experience. Venues that wouldn't reply to them a week earlier were suddenly very eager to listen of news of Coloratura's latest tour.
Coloratura and Applejack, meanwhile, took advantage of the time together to reconnect with one another. They found their friendship picked up as if they'd never been apart. The spent a good part of the week swimming in a pond in a secluded part of Sweet Apple Acres.
"Applejack, a word if I may."
Applejack groaned and swam towards the shore. "What is it, Rarity?"
"As you know, Heart Song, Tender Heart, and myself have all been hard at work putting this tour together. And now it's your turn to contribute."
"And what do you need me t' do? It looks like you three have got things well in hoof."
"We do. But Coloratura, I'm afraid, does not. You're very good at fixing things, and I place repairing Coloratura's damaged self-esteem in your hooves."
"Wait just a second there, Rarity. I don't know the first thing about psychol...psychiat... you know, that there head shrink stuff. Besides, you saw her concert. She was incredible!"
"But she's been working with Svengallop, who's basically beat it into her head that she's nothing without him. If she honestly believes she's going to fail, then we're all going to fail miserably. She must not only dress for success, she must also have the attitude that she's going to succeed."
"And what do you want me to do about it, sugarcube?"
"Just keep doing what you're doing. And we'll take care of the rest."
"A word or two of encouragement from you could go a long way too. Want to join us for a quick dip in the pond?"
"Oh dear me, no. Why, I didn't bring a swimsuit with me."
"Neither did we."
Rarity fluttered a hoof in front of her chest. "Skinny-dipping? How uncouth! I would expect that from Rainbow Dash!"
The farm pony rolled her eyes. "We've covered this before, Rarity. We don't normally wear clothes."
"Be that as it may, there's still a proper way of doing things." She waved a hoof dismissively and walked away. Applejack, in turn, swam back to Coloratura.
"What was that all about?"
"She just wanted to give me an update on things. So far, so good!"
"If I can do it."
"Of course you can do it, sugarcube." She dunked her friend under the water. "Just like I know y'all can pay me back for that."
Coloratura surfaced and spit out water. "Oh, it is so on now!" She chased Applejack around the pond, the two ponies splashing each other merrily.
A month later they had gathered in Baltimare for the first concert on the tour. Banners declaring '~~Countess~~ Coloratura (call me Rara) featuring Mare Supply' decorated the nightclub. Tickets for the show had sold out in a matter of hours, so they'd be playing to a capacity crowd. Everything was looking up.
"No, I'm afraid this simply won't do."
Rarity turned to look at the pony who dared insult her decor. "And who are you?"
"The name's Penny Pincher. I represent the firm of Secret Tale & Copper Glow, Attorneys At Law. Our client, Svengallop, has informed us of your copyright infringement, and I came by to see it for myself."
"What copyright infringement?"
"The use of the name 'Rara' of course. Svengallop currently oversees the affairs of a young mare performing as Lady Rara, who just so happens to be performing across town tomorrow night at the same time as your concert. Your use of the name will no doubt create confusion and result in reduced revenues for my client. You'll need to cease & desist using the name at once." He gave her an envelope. "You'll find all the details in there. These banners will have to come down posthaste, and you'll have to stop distributing flyers until the needed corrections are made."
"You've got to be kidding me. 'Rara' has been Coloratura's nickname since she was a young filly."
"She should have copyrighted it then. If she had, she would have a previous claim to the name and my client would be forced to change his performer's name. Good day to you, miss." Penny Pincher tipped his hat as he left.
Rarity's frustrated scream brought the others running. "What's wrong, sugarcube?"
"You're not going to believe this. We've just been issued a cease & desist order." She held it up for the others to look at.
"Cease and desist what?" asked Coloratura.
"Using the trademarked name 'Rara' in conjunction with our concert, including, but not limited to removing all references to the name 'Rara' from flyers, banners, and other promotional materials."
"Since when has my nickname been copyrighted?"
"Since a month ago, when Svengallop created a new act named Lady Rara, who just happens to be performing across town from us tonight."
"First he steals my talent, then he steals my money, and now he's even stealing my name? That's a new low, even for him."
"So what do we do now?" Applejack asked.
"The show must go on," replied Tender Heart. "We've come too far to stop now."
"I'm not letting Svengallop beat me that easily." Coloratura stomped a hoof.
"It's too late to do anything about the flyers, but I can modify the banners before the show." Rarity sighed as her horn glowed. "Idea!" The others watched as '(call me Rara)' morphed into ''88 World Tour'. "Get dusting, because I suspect there will soon be a surge in demand for your unsold inventory."
"It's a new theme for the concert. I... I love it! It ties together my collaboration with Mare Supply perfectly!" Coloratura grinned.
"We should practice," said Tender Heart. "We're going to have to make some changes to the songs."
"I know one thing for sure. My band will certainly sound '80s even if I don't."
"Don't worry about it, you've got the voice for it," Heart Song said. "You know, I think we're going to need more power ballads on the set list... All we need to do is remix some of our slower songs to sound more like Making Love Out Of Nothing At All. That will be the perfect blend of our styles. Come on, we've got some songs to tweak!"
Rarity breezed through altering the banners. With time to spare she hung them around the venue, and then while everypony else was busy preparing for the concert, she sneaked out. It wasn't hard to find a banner advertising the Lady Rara concert, Svengallop had plastered them directly over her own beautifully designed flyers. "Sneaky. Using us to advertise the name 'Rara' for him so he can capitalize on it by creating confusion as to exactly who Rara is. Then if they like her they'll tell their friends, and next time they'll intentionally go to her show instead of ours. But if she bombs, everypony will think it was Coloratura and write her off as a joke. He wins either way. But two can play at that game. If I can survive in the cutthroat fashion industry for as long as I have, I can certainly handle a music producer." She followed the directions and trotted through town towards the makeshift stage set-up in a field outside town.
Even with the concert still hours away, a crowd had already gathered. Eavesdropping as she trotted past them, Rarity discovered a number of the ponies were truly there to see Coloratura, as she had suspected. She put an ear against the ticket booth.
"Hey boss, we keep getting ponies trying to give us tickets for some other show."
"Just accept them and wave them in," Svengallop said. "We can afford to take a loss on this show. We'll make it back soon enough. Tonight though, it's all about putting ponies in the seats and getting Lady Rara's name out there."
"Overconfidence. I can work with this."
"Miss, what are you doing back there?"
"I lost my ticket!" Rarity wailed. "Of all the worst possible things, this is the worst possible thing!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't cry there little lady. There's plenty of room inside. If you say you bought a ticket we believe you. Just go in."
"Why thank you." Rarity turned off the waterworks and flashed the stallion a smile. She fluttered her eyelashes to achieve the maximum effect. "A handsome colt with fine manners such as yourself is so hard to find these days." She brushed a hoof against his foreleg as she passed. He blushed and stammered out a thank you as she continued on.
Rarity cut through the crowd expertly, and slipped backstage without anypony seeing her. Finding Lady Rara's dressing room wasn't challenging. Two hulking stallions were guarding the door. She sauntered up to the nearest one. "Ohh, you're a fine specimen if I do say so myself." She swooned over him, brushing against him here, breathing on him there. The stoic façade started crumbling.
"Ma'am, no one gets past here."
"Who said anything about going past here? With two handsome, muscular studs here, why would I want to go anywhere else?" She started stroking the foreleg of the other guard. "And it's 'miss' by the way, not ma'am. I don't suppose either of you gentlecolts are single?"
"I am," they both answered at once.
"What about Twinkle Bell?" the first guard accused the second.
"Oh yeah? Well what about Cinnamon Muffin?" the second retorted.
"We broke up."
"Oh yeah? When?"
"Thirty seconds ago."
The two guards started shoving each other and Rarity walked past them as a fight broke out between them. She silently let herself into Lady Rara's room and cleared her throat.
"Who are you?"
"The pony who's here to prevent you from making a horrible mistake."
"And what mistake would that be?"
"Well first of all, your make-up looks like my little sister applied it." She levitated several containers off the counter and started fixing the young mare's make-up. "Secondly, you call that a costume? Where's the rest of it?"
"Svengallop said it shows off my flank."
"That it does. Indeed, it shows off so much of your flank that you may as well not bother wearing anything at all. No, no, no, this simply won't do." Rarity levitated the outfit away as she started brushing Lady Rara's bright pink and neon green hair. "Fortunately for you I make alterations while you wait."
Forty-five minutes later Rarity was finished. Lady Rara took a look in the mirror. The bright green and pink highlights were gone, letting the mare's natural pastel pink and teal hair show through. Her restored hair color, combined with a new hairdo, combined to compliment her orchid coat. "I'm beautiful. Th...thank you. I've never looked this pretty in all my life."
"My dear, the beauty was there all along. I've merely enhanced it so it can be seen by everypony. As for your outfit, I suspect you may find this more to your liking." She levitated a rhinestone-sequined dress over. "It's the best I could do with the limited supplies on hoof. Svengallop has no taste."
"This is so much better than what I'm supposed to wear."
"Thank you. Now, about your performance. What's Svengallop want you to do?"
"Well, I sing, and he uses his magic to glitch my voice and flash special effects over..." She trailed off.
"Exactly. Just as he tried to hide your beauty under layers of gaudy makeup, he's trying to hide your beautiful voice behind distortions. What kind of manager does that? I'll tell you. The self-centered, egomaniacal kind."
"You...you're right. I'm such a fool!"
"No, you're not. This is what he did to Coloratura too. She saw the light, and now you have too."
"Wait? You mean she didn't fire him because she's greedy and didn't want to pay him?"
"Quite the opposite. He was barely paying her. You may want to re-examine your contract with him."
"What should I do?"
"Well, if you trust me... follow me." Rarity made her way to the backdoor. "I know someone who will appreciate you for you." Once outside, Rarity led her to the exit. "Wait here for me. I have one last thing I need to do. If anypony asks, just say you needed a breath of fresh air."
Rarity walked onto the stage with her head held high. A hush fell over the crowd as she tapped a hoof to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlecolts, I fear a great many of you have been deceived. How many of you are here tonight to see Coloratura?" The crowd stomped in approval. "Then you're at the wrong place. Coloratura is performing at the same nightclub where you bought your tickets. Her former manager, Svengallop, replaced all the posters with directions to this concert so he can introduce you to somepony new. It's a classic bait and switch. Well, the joke's on him. Both Coloratura and his new act will be performing together. I'd leave now if you want to get to your seats before the show starts."
Rarity galloped off stage... right into the waiting forelegs of Svengallop and two battered security guards.
"Going somewhere? You've ruined me. That means I'm going to have to ruin that perfect little face of yours." Svengallop ran a hoof under Rarity's chin. He drew his foreleg back to punch her but never got the chance. Lady Rara clobbered him with one of the many props scattered backstage. He slumped to the ground and the two security guards looked at the two mares.
"I'm sorry about deceiving you earlier. Do you really want to work for an arrogant blowhard like this?"
"No."
"Can we go?"
"Yeah. If you take us with you."
"Hmn, I suppose we could stand to increase our security a bit. And I also suppose I owe you both for tricking you. Deal."
"Where have you been, sugarcube? The concert's about to start and Coloratura is a mess!"
"First of all, we have a good reason to delay the start of the concert." Rarity motioned to the half-empty nightclub. "Those seats will be filled very shortly. Secondly, what happened to Rara?"
"A bad case of nerves." It was Tender Heart who answered her. "Heart Song is talking with her as we speak."
Coloratura sat in front of her vanity as Heart Song brushed her hair.
"Where did you get so good with applying make-up and doing hair?"
"It's been years since we could afford to hire someone to do it for ourselves before a show. So we learned how to do it ourselves. We've learned a lot of things about putting on a show over the years."
"You've been wonderful to work with this past month. It's not fair what happened to you. You're amazing musicians. You shouldn't be trivialized like this."
"And our future has never looked brighter than since we've started working with you. When we go out there tonight, you've given us more than just a second chance. You've given us a chance to shine in front of an entirely new audience."
"And you'll be great."
"And so will you."
"I... I don't know. My audience is expecting something I'm not going to deliver. They want a show. They want special effects. They want glitching and distortions."
"They're in for a pleasant surprise when they find out there's actually substance to you. The crowd in Ponyville demanded three encores. What makes you think this one's going to be any different?"
"You... you know what? You're right."
"Never thought I'd be giving a pep talk to Equestria's most popular pop star."
"But you've been there before."
"Well, sort of. I suspect that Journeigh, Fleetwood Tack, and Foal & Oats might dispute that title of 'most popular of our era' though we certainly gave them all a run for the money thirty years ago."
"And now you're not."
"I'm afraid fame is fleeting, Coloratura. We had eight hit singles in a span of three years. But you'd be hard-pressed to hear one on the radio today. Still, we're certainly not without our fans. Though I suspect most of this particular crowd is here to see you, not us."
"What if that happens to me?"
Heart Song stopped brushing and spun Coloratura's chair around so they could look eye to eye. "Then you have to make a decision when that time comes. Do you retire from music, and live off your royalties, or do you press forward and keep making music, even if the crowds dwindle from thousands to dozens. We chose the latter path, and we haven't ever regretted it. Music is a part of you."
"It is. You're right. Oh my stars, I've been so foalish."
"No, you're just seeing what it's like to put on a real concert for the first time. One where mistakes aren't covered up by glitches. It's perfectly normal to be nervous before a performance. But you're going to be fine."
Coloratura rose from her chair and hugged Heart Song. "I am now, thanks to you."
The crowd had finally crossed Baltimare and filed into their seats. They'd picked up a few extra ponies along the way and club set up additional speakers in the lobby for those without tickets.
Rarity walked onto the stage and up to the microphone. "Greetings, Baltimare! We've got a great show for you tonight! We've got Mare Supply." About a quarter of the crowd stomped in appreciation. "And we've got Coloratura!" The stomping echoed through the venue and Rarity flattened her ears. "And we've got a special surprise too. We'll be introducing a new artist, for her first time ever on stage!"
"What?" Applejack said. "Did any of you know anything about this?"
"It's okay," Coloratura replied. "Rarity slipped us some sheet music and told us to memorize it as fast as possible. At the end of the show we're doing two songs for that 'Lady Rara' that was supposed to be performing against us. Then we'll all perform an encore together. She's in one of the dressing rooms learning The Magic Inside."
Applejack looked relieved. "I don't know how she does it, but Rarity always manages to pull it all together in the end. Shucks, instead of competin' you're workin' together. That's great!"
"Yeah it is."
"How are you holding up, sugarcube?"
"A lot better than I was earlier."
"Listen to me, Rara. What are you here to do?" Applejack put a hoof under her friend's chin and gently raised Coloratura's head so they were looking each other in the eyes.
"Perform a concert for thousands of ponies."
"And what's that involve?"
"Singing?"
"Exactly. Those thousands of ponies are here to hear your beautiful voice. They're not here for fancy costumes or flashy special effects. Just be yourself."
"Don't worry about me. I'm going to be just fine." Coloratura embraced Applejack as Tender Heart and Heart Song took to the stage. "I've got to get out there, AJ. I'll see you after the show."
Coloratura walked up to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlecolts, we're blessed to live in the greatest nation on Equus. If I could have you all rise and remove your hats for this first song to show your respect to our country, and to our princesses."
They started with Equestria, The Land I Love and followed it with the Mare Supply classic Lost In Love. They continued alternating between their hits. Halfway through the concert Coloratura interrupted the show. "Traditionally this has been my encore song. No more. This song represents everything I came to hate about myself. But it's my biggest hit and I don't feel right not performing it. So instead, I'm going to perform The Spectacle without all the glitching. The way it should have been written in the first place. I like it better this way and I really hope you'll all like what I've done with it too."
From the stomping ovation she received when the song was over, it was safe to say the new version was just as big of a hit as the original. "Thank you all. I can't tell you how nervous I was to be messing with such a beloved song. Thank you. And thank you to my new managers, Applejack and Rarity. And a special thanks to Mare Supply as well. Without all of their efforts this show would've never happened."
The rest of the concert went smoothly and they finished up the regular set list. Rarity once more took the microphone. "I promised everypony a special surprise earlier. For the first time on any stage, we have the one...the only..."
The former 'Lady Rara' took the microphone away from Rarity. "I'm Lady, and she's Rara!" She pointed to Coloratura. "I want to thank all of you for giving me a chance tonight. Thank you to Coloratura and Mare Supply for giving me the opportunity to shine on their night. And especially you, Rarity. Thank you for believing in me."
Soon the concert was over. The applause was deafening after they finished The Magic Inside. Applejack closed the curtain and they all breathed a sigh of relief. The concert had been a major success. Coloratura was still the number one pop star in Equestria, Mare Supply had launched a successful comeback, and Lady was now well on her way to becoming a pop star in her own right.
